Harassment, racism claims overshadow growth of WNBA, including Portland expansion

Many Portland sports fans were excited to learn their city was awarded a WNBA franchise. The city is home to The Sports Bra, believed to be the only U.S. sports bar that focuses on and shows only women’s athletics. (Photo courtesy of The Sports Bra)

PHOENIX – With harassment and racism suddenly serving as the soundtrack to the increasingly popular WNBA, the league hopes its recent news of expansion will shift the narrative.

The WNBA announced its return to Portland recently, giving the Phoenix Mercury a new opponent on the West Coast starting in 2026. The Rip City will be the WNBA’s 15th franchise, and it will join the Golden State Valkyries and Toronto in the league’s planned expansion from 12 teams.

“As we’ve seen throughout our 2024 record-breaking season, the demand for the W brand of basketball is unprecedented,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said while announcing the Portland expansion on Sept. 18. “We’re selling out games at historic pace, setting ratings records, introducing our veterans and new stars to new fans and the world.”

While the WNBA’s growing fan base has been exciting, online criticism and toxicity have begun overshadowing its success. The league’s fan base grew with the addition of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to the roster, but many stars, including the Connecticut Suns’ Dijonai Carrington, have faced the backlash of popularity.

Carrington recently shared an email she had received on Instagram that included graphic depictions of sexual assault and death threats, along with a racial slur. The WNBA immediately released a statement denouncing messages sent to players online.

Carrington is not the only player receiving negative comments online. Many players, such as the Phoenix Suns’ Brittany Griner and Kahleah Cooper, have spoken out against the hate.

Despite this, the WNBA has not let the negativity slow down its expansion, especially when welcoming Portland back into the league after a 22-year absence.

RAJ Sports and the Bhathal family will bring its sports ownership expertise to the Portland team. Headed by the WNBA governor and controlling owner Lisa Bhathal Merage and alternate governor Alex Bhathal, the family hopes to show Portland’s love for women’s sports by making it the global epicenter.

The Bhathal family serves as controlling owners of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Portland Thorns and investors in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. Lisa Bhathal Merage said her family’s experience attending Thorns games sparked interest in bringing another women’s professional sport to Portland.

“We saw firsthand the power of outstanding women athletes, the passion of the fans, and the potential to impact dreams for generations to come,” Lisa Bhathal Merage said in the Portland announcement. “It sparked a desire to bring even more visibility to women’s sports and fueled our determination to bring a WNBA team to this great city.”

This WNBA addition joins the Portland Thorns in the women’s professional team sphere in Rip City. The community can especially look forward to watching the Thorns and the new WNBA team in local businesses like Portland’s The Sports Bra, believed to be the only U.S. sports bar that focuses on and shows only women’s athletics.

Founder and CEO of The Sports Bra, Jenny Nguyen, said she was informed of the new franchise before its announcement, under a non-disclosure agreement, and was overcome with excitement. It has been over 20 years since the now-defunct Portland Fire reigned in Oregon, and Nguyen said she couldn’t be more thrilled for the city and basketball community.

“I’ve been telling people, it feels like I’ve been waiting my whole life for Portland to get a WNBA team back here,” Nguyen said. “And it sounds like I’m exaggerating, but also, I’ve lived in Portland my whole life, and it’s been 22 years, so that’s a long time to want something back.”

Nguyen isn’t the only one excited for the team’s return. Leading up to the WNBA Portland announcement at Moda Center, the franchise’s home, The Sports Bra hosted a block party for fans to attend.

“We did a couple special cocktail drinks,” Nguyen said. “We sold a bunch of new (merchandise) that we just launched, and overall, the excitement was so palpable. People were high-fiving, hugging, crying, just so much excitement around it.”

With the enthusiasm in Portland and nationwide about a new addition to the WNBA family, other ownership groups are expected to make franchise bids. Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta confirmed recently that he is interested in pursuing an expansion team for his city.

But that’s not all. Other groups in Denver, Nashville, Philadelphia and Miami are all expected to make bids as they look ahead to the 16th franchise of the WNBA.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert believes league growth is inevitable and that “the demand for the W brand of basketball is unprecedented,” (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

The Houston Comets and Portland Fire took the court two decades ago, and the game has drastically changed since then, especially since the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997.

“I can’t really speak to how things were in the past other than they allowed us to build from a foundation of success that exists today, and as we look forward into the future, all we see is opportunity,” Alex Bhathal said in the Portland announcement. “That opportunity, of course, will come with execution challenges, and no business will be perfect, but we’re really excited about the opportunity to create something special here in Portland and be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Regarding the future of the Portland franchise, Nguyen said the team will always need community excitement, but they need more support in the arena. She said she constantly reminds people to continue the enthusiasm, “but also get your tickets.”

“You can be all amped and excited and all of this stuff, but for a business person or for the organization that is buying the team and bringing it to Portland, they want to see revenue,” Nguyen said. “They want to see sales and all of that stuff, and it matters.”

With the WNBA’s record-breaking season in 2024, the league must continue to grow steadily, not only for the players involved but also for possible new franchises.

The 2024 WNBA Draft had a historic 2.45 million viewers on ESPN, over four times the number of viewers for the 2023 draft. According to Nielsen, the 2024 season was the most watched WNBA regular season ever on ESPN platforms, with an average of 1.2 million viewers, 170% more than the 2023 regular season average.

The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark have the most games in the top viewership rankings, which is no surprise to WNBA fans. However, Clark’s audience reach has helped bring more eyes to the Phoenix Mercury, on top of their already booming fan base, reaching four of the top 33 spots. The Mercury’s most-watched game was on ESPN against the Indiana Fever in Phoenix on June 30, with 1.93 million viewers.

The WNBA has reached more people of color, ages under 35 and young women. These diversified audience groups were especially present at the beginning of the 2024 season.

At the end of May, the WNBA reported that viewership grew 96% year over year among Hispanic fans and 67% among Black fans.

Audience diversity and community reflection are essential for any WNBA team, especially for Portland, as it starts this new franchise in 2026. Lisa Bhathal Merage said the team will stand for nothing less.

“This city has always supported teams that represent more than just the game,” she said. “Our WNBA team will stand for inclusivity, empowerment and community. We are committed to creating a team that reflects the diversity and values of Portland, and we’re excited to have the entire community join us.”

With the WNBA expanding at this rate, the Phoenix Mercury could see more teams added to their West Coast Conference. The Mercury are among the only three teams remaining in their original cities since the WNBA launch in 1997. The Los Angeles Sparks and New York Liberty join them as still operating teams.

In contrast with its original eight teams, the league can expect five other franchise cities to bid, and with this, the WNBA could also see some new rule changes.

The top eight of 12 teams in the WNBA make the playoffs. However, as the league added its 15th franchise and has the potential to reach 20 franchises, the W might need to expand its playoff bracket and the length of each postseason round.

“We would love a five-game series, all out, right?” Nguyen said. “Five-game series and then maybe a seven-game series at the end. Just more games. I don’t know how the players feel about playing more games, but as fans, we just want more.”

Compared to the NBA, the WNBA playoffs seem pretty short. The first round is best-of-three, and then the semifinals and finals are both five-game series.

Additionally, the NBA fully implemented the Play-In Tournament in 2022, allowing the teams ranking seven through 10 to compete for the final seventh and eighth spots in the playoffs. With the possibility of more teams joining the WNBA, the league might need to adopt the Play-In Tournament system or one like it rather than the top eight teams automatically making the playoffs.

Even though the WNBA would have 10 franchises less than the NBA if all expected ownership groups make and are awarded a bid, changes to the playoffs would allow for greater competition in the league. The Play-In Tournament could add another level of extended viewership ratings for all WNBA teams.

Nguyen also hopes this will give female college athletes who haven’t been drafted more opportunities. With all the talent that comes through women’s college basketball and limited spots within the league, adding more teams only expands female athletes’ chances of playing professionally.

Overall, the sport’s future is unknown despite speculation and hopes for advancements in WNBA gameplay. But the league’s future is hopeful, especially in Portland, as its growth only continues.

“I can’t ever say what the future holds,” Nguyen said. “I just know that the general feeling here for the W returning to Portland, is the same as how we’ve been feeling about women’s basketball this year, which is, it’s about time. It’s about time people turn their attention, turn their pocketbooks, all of that stuff, towards women’s sports, and the W and basketball coming back to Portland is just another avenue for that to happen.”